Translating 'Pure', 'Clean'

Translating ‘Pure’, ‘Clean’ and Woman’s Body: A Case Study of Memory and Experience from within and outside the Fishing Community RENU ELZA VARKEY Abstract This paper is a part of my ongoing PhD research. The work as a whole does focus on how the day-today lives and beliefs of the fisherfolk have become to what it is now, tracing back to the unwritten history they have been carrying along generations, through collective memories and icons based on their experiences, from a literary point of view. This paper, in particular, is based on the narratives of the fishing community from Alleppey, and Trivandrum, two major coastal districts of Kerala, a Southern State in India, and also compares their oral narratives and representations in other media. The research questions that led to this study have popped up while reading the famous Malayalam novel, Chemmeen by Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai. The paper is based on the query about the existence of certain myths, especially those concerning the chastity of women and the concept of purity, as highlighted and overtly emphasised in this particular novel and other similar narratives. How does their collective memory get translated into their day-today lives and rituals? This paper specifically looks into the layers of translation interconnecting the concepts of purity and woman's body based on conversations with the fisherfolk, and their representation or misrepresentation in other media. Keywords: Memory, experience, translation, gender, fisherfolk narratives. Translation Today, Volume 12, Issue 1 Renu Elza Varkey Brief Introduction to the Community Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala is situated between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east. Kerala's coastal line extends to approximately 580 km in length, while it varies between 35– 120 km in width. Geographically, the state can be roughly divided into three climatically distinct regions, viz., the Eastern Highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the Central Midlands (rolling hills), and the Western Lowlands (coastal plains) 1. Recognised by UNESCO as an indigenous community, the Mukkuva Community (Fishing Community) of Kerala is one among the many marginalised communities in the society. Despite the large number of people belonging to the community, the inferior treatment meted them is often due to the manual labour they are communally engaged in. According to G. John Samuel, the Mukkuvars, believed to have emigrated from Ceylon, are today found in Kanyakumari District, coastal areas of Kerala, Lakshadweep, and in some scattered areas of Karnataka and occupies a major area of Sri Lanka. Although they are described as a homogeneous ethnic group, their present lifestyle is believed to vary according to geographical, ecological and other influences (Samuel 1998: 118). They are a community that has differing ethnic identities based on the state or country of domicile. Although they are considered a marginalised community in India, their social and numerical position make them an important community in Sri Lanka. They are also located in Lakshadweep Islands of India but are called Melacherries . They are also identified as the Araya caste among the communities who follow Hinduism towards some of the southern parts of Kerala. Inhabiting the 1 India, National Portal of. "Kerala." <http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/state_uts.php?id=14. n.d> 86 Translating ‘Pure’, ‘Clean’ and Woman’s Body:… coastal regions of the state, their main source of income for livelihood is fishing. Oral Narratives and its Significance in the Community The community owns a rich oral tradition. The folk element prevalent among the Mukkuvar can be found in various genres of their narratives such as folktales, myths, beliefs, songs etc. It’s a surprise that their oral tradition is still an under explored area in research though their culture is impregnated with their indigenous and local knowledge. As an indigenous community, they have a close relationship with the sea and its ecology. With the intervention of modernity and technology, many of their exclusive cultural memories and knowledge are being forgotten and deteriorating as the generations pass by. Underlining the fact that we live in a patriarchal society, there are certain dogmas which are still followed among the fishing communities for ages, based on gender. While they respect the sea as a Mother, rather than a Father figure (according to the Hindu Mythology Sea is considered a Male God, Samudradevan , Varuna ), it’s fascinating to observe how gendered spaces are mapped in their society which lead to geographical limitations of women, though the intensity of these beliefs can vary from region to region. Even if it’s stating the obvious that the society follows Patriarchy, the gap lies in the fact that these oral texts were never learnt from a folk or literary critical perspective. Till now, the life of women from the community was studied only from a human/gender rights or economic perspective, but a study concerning their portrayal in the myths or their beliefs remain untouched. This paper focuses on how the body of a woman and the concepts of “pure” and “clean” is represented in three different contexts- in a mainstream literary text which was also adapted to a motion 87 Renu Elza Varkey picture, a one-act play and some personal narratives from the members of the community. Translation from within the Community and outside In the paper, ‘Translating Europe's Others’, Talal Asad and John Dixon talk about the intricacies of translating the Other's in the context of Colonialization by Europe. Even if the scenario is different, reading the context as ‘The Mainstream's Others’ equates this to their observations. When an upper class/caste person writes about "the others" who are considered to be the minority or marginalised of the same society, the tendency is that it brings in the same effect. They discuss the historical and political context within which the two parties relate to each other-the society to be represented and the society for which that representation is destined (Asad & Dixon 1985: 170). It is also equally important that how a dominated language accommodates the narratives of these communities, which mostly remain in the oral form. The lived experience and collective memory of a culture which has travelled over generations, within themselves undergo a translation and become part of their belief system adapting to their day to day lives. It can be reinforced by what Asad says, “In Ethnography, the primary material is oral and what's vitally important it is, for the most part, embedded in the activities of the everyday life. Hence, only a lived experience can talk authentically about a memory rather than observing from the outside world” (Asad & Dixon 1985: 173). ‘Pure’ ( : śud ̍̍̍dham̍ ̇̇̇),̇ ‘Clean’ ( : śud ̍̍̍dhi̍ ) and Woman’s Body The words śud ̍dha ṁ and śud ̍dhi have a Sanskrit origin and are derived from the root word śud ̍dh which means pure . śud ̍dha ṁ 88 Translating ‘Pure’, ‘Clean’ and Woman’s Body:… means pure and śud ̍dhi means clean. Pure and clean in every culture and community, throughout the time have undoubtedly been associated with the woman’s body. Evidences from various cultures are in abundance to substantiate this belief. Starting from religious to historical to socio-cultural texts and norms, fidelity and menstruation are two of those major factors which determine “her” pure and clean body, anywhere in the world. The case is no different in the fishing communities. Discussion of the Texts Chemmeen – the Celebrated Novel and Cinema In the Post-Colonial India, there has been a boom of education, literacy and literature even though the access was very much limited to certain social strata. Chemmeen (1956) by Thakazhi Shivashanakara is a novel written in such a social scenario that gradually became one of the canonical literary works in Malayalam. The time period is also very important in the literary history of Kerala, as 1940’s marked the advent of realistic novels in Malayalam literature and Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai is one of the most eminent figures who promoted the genre 2. Thus, Chemmeen has always been considered as a masterpiece text in the Malayalam literary history. For its popularity and well-acclaimed reception among the readers, the novel was awarded some of the prestigious literary awards in the country. It was later adapted into a motion picture which won national awards in several categories and got translated and published in some of the major World Languages, thus reaching out to a global audience. Chemmeen is the only novel which grabbed the attention of the global reading public till mid-2010’s which in fact opened a door for the global society to the fisherfolk 2 George, K. M. Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. 1998. P: 104-106.Print. 89 Renu Elza Varkey community and their existence. The novel Chemmeen is written in the backdrop of a coastal village in Alleppey. Through the novel, Thakazhi narrates the story of the relationship between Karuthamma, the daughter of a fisherman who is a Hindu by religion, and Pareekutti, who is the son of a Muslim fish wholesaler. The novel revolves around a myth which is claimed to exist among the fishing communities along the Coastal Kerala, about chastity. The myth as depicted in the novel is that “if a married fisherwoman is infidel when her husband is in the sea, the Sea goddess (Kadalamma , literally translated as Sea Mother) will take him along and he would never come back”. Going by the myth, a woman’s chastity was believed to have had all the power to bring back her husband safely from a tormenting sea.

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